Osama bin Laden dead: body buried at sea

The body of Osama bin Laden has been buried at sea after he was killed by US
covert forces in Pakistan.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in AfghanistanPhoto: AP

11:31AM BST 02 May 2011

A senior US official told US television networks that he had been buried at sea, without giving further details.

Earlier an administration official said of the corpse: "We are ensuring that it is handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition.

"This is something that we take very seriously. And so therefore this is being handled in an appropriate manner."

Burying bin Laden's body at sea would ensure that his final resting place does not become a shrine and a place of pilgrimage for his followers.

US officials said the CIA tracked bin Laden to his location, then elite troops from Navy SEAL Team Six, a top military counterterrorism unit, flew to the hideout in four helicopters. Bin Laden was shot in the head in an ensuing firefight, these officials said, adding that he and his guards had resisted his attackers. US personnel identified him by facial recognition, the official said, declining to say whether DNA analysis had also been used.